Source: Atlantic Council
By Ruslan Minich
Since illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia has drastically increased its military presence in the Black Sea region. The Kremlin’s dominance may be temporary given NATO’s greater capacities, but so far, NATO’s response has been limited.
“Russia has practically covered all of the Black Sea region,” says Hryhorii Perepelytsia, the head of the Kyiv-based Foreign Policy Research Institute. “It can destroy targets—for instance, NATO ships—right at the entrance via the straits of Bosporus and Dardanelles.”
The Kremlin has consistently upgraded its military capabilities over the past five years. It increased its military personnel from 12,500 before illegally seizing Crimea to 32,000 in 2018, aiming to reach 43,000 by 2025, and it updated and extended its military bases. Additionally, Russia has been creating an anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) zone over the Black Sea that will allow the Kremlin to deny other countries’ access and free movement in the region.
Read more at: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/russia-shows-its-military-might-in-the-black-sea-and-beyond?fbclid=IwAR2zMbnY1Vkgl5R-4K4AjXRfXIBTIjnJ1DORyHZ-_8K9C82V7-v-56lkDXg#.W-NVHQxm5mk.facebook